Pasture Perfect
(Page 6 of 6)
April/May 2002
By Jo Robinson
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Grain-Feeding and E. coli bacteria
Outbreaks of deadly E. coli food poisoning have become more common in recent years and grain-feeding may be one of the reasons. Researchers from Cornell University determined grainfed cattle have approximately 300 times more E. coli in their guts than grassfed cattle. Worse yet, the E. coli in grain-fed animals is more likely to make us sick. Grain-feeding makes a ruminant's gut more acidic. E. coli that cannot tolerate this heightened acidity die off, allowing acid-resistant bacteria to thrive and multiply. Unfortunately our frontline defense against E. coli is the natural acidity of our own digestive system. E. coli from grain-fed animals are already accustomed to this level of acidity, so they are more likely to lodge in our intestines and make us sick. Raising animals on pasture keeps the E. coli count relatively low and keeps the bacteria vulnerable to our bodies' natural defenses.
Jo Robinson is a New York Times best-selling writer and the author of Pasture Perfect — a book documenting the benefits of pasture-raised animals.
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